title: fMRI: blood oxygen level-dependent activation during a working memory-selective attention task in children born extremely preterm.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Extremely preterm (EPT)/extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) children attaining school age and adolescence often have problems with executive functions such as working memory and selective attention. Our aim was to investigate a hypothesized difference in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) activation during a selective attention-working memory task in EPT/ELBW children as compared with term-born controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  A regional cohort of 28 EPT/ELBW children and 28 term-born controls underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning at 11 y of age while performing a combined Stroop n-back task. Group differences in BOLD activation were analyzed with Statistical Parametric Mapping 8 analysis software package, and reaction times (RTs) and response accuracy (RA) were compared in a multifactorial ANOVA test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BOLD activation pattern in the preterm group involved the same areas (cingulate, prefrontal, and parietal cortexes), but all areas displayed significantly less activation than those in the control group, particularly when the cognitive load was increased. The RA results corresponded with the activation data in that the preterm group had significantly fewer correct responses. No group difference was found regarding RTs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children born EPT/ELBW displayed reduced working memory and selective attention capacity as compared with term-born controls. These impairments had neuronal correlates with reduced BOLD activation in areas responsible for online stimulus monitoring, working memory, and cognitive control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. silja.torvik.griffiths@helse-bergen.no
authors.forename: Silja Torvik
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gundersen
authors.forename: Emanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Elgen
authors.forename: Trond
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Markestad
authors.forename: Stein M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Aukland
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hugdahl
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D011930:Reaction Time; D057190:Stroop Test
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen